In the late 1980s, I was embarking on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Since my companion was interested in starting a postgraduate program in the Big Apple, we had arranged a two-week stay there before heading to London.
We got to the postgrad residence, a sizeable multi-story edifice on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we got some food, found a table, and began chatting with people eating there.
Beside me was an Iraqi man enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I shared that I had newly finished with a scientific background and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – right next door to the school of engineering, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I ought to seek a position with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, going back to the cafeteria that after dark. The engineering student approached me and informed me that he had organized a discussion for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had taken the effort, I went to the meeting – but right away told my prospective employer that I was without a work permit, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a city where anything feels possible – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for three years. An advantage of the role was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I seized the chance to complete a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I don’t even know his full name, but his remarkable generosity changed my life in multiple respects. I didn't possess the courage or self-belief to approach someone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that educational benefit.
Perhaps most importantly, that role at the university led me to a job in Zurich where I met my beautiful French husband, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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